Overlooked - Sex Beat

Death Rock is one of those genres that people either love, or know nothing about. It was either connected to or spawned lots of other sub-genres. Names like Bauhaus, Alien Sex Fiend, Sisters of Mercy, 45 Grave, Christian Death, and so on and so on. (I can already hear the anguished cry of 30-somethings still caking on white face paint on Friday nights, screaming about definitions of 'goth' versus 'industrial' versus 'death rock' versus post-punk'. Yawn.)

Some of the music doesn't hold up. It was either so wrapped up in trying to be the 'death rockiest' song ever or it was just plain crap to begin with. But other songs out there hold up just as well as anything. Good song writing is good song writing. Go back and listen to any old Bauhaus album and you can instantly see why they can still pack clubs while bands like Electric Hellfire Club elicit little more than a snicker from the most die hard fans of the genre.

Like any era in music, it has it's one hit wonders. In this case, "Sex Beat" by "Sex Beat" is a classic example. Made up of scensters, DJ's and random folks in the NY goth scene, centered around the notorious Bat Cave club, Sex Beat was there and gone before anyone knew what happened. They signed to a label after "Sex Beat" was a hit on the Young Limbs and Numb Hyms Bat Cave compilation album. But after only two follow-up singles, drifted into musical oblivion.

The song, however, magically captures all that was right in the scene at the time. A dark, driving beat. A dirty, less than perfect production that had more heart than skill. And a finger on the pulse of the crowd it was playing to. It's become one of those tracks that I think will live on on many a compilation, play list and set list for a long time to come.


MP3: Sex Beat - Sex Beat
Purchase through CD Universe - Sex Beat

*Side Note: Happy birthday to my dear friend, Leia. Leia is one of those amazingly rare human beings that doesn't just listen to music, she absorbs it. She never tires of her favorites and always loves to hear new things. She is one of the finest souls I know.